The Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and Manchester United defender Patrice Evra have started a ‘War of Words’ before their sides meet at Old Trafford. Wenger has hit back at Evra’s comments of ‘crisis’ at Arsenal, by calling him ‘scared’ of the Gunners.

In a heated exchange ahead of Monday’s match between the Premier League’s top two clubs, Wenger pointedly declared that “respect for others is a sign of class”.

Evra was the one who started the feud, when he dismissed suggestions that Arsenal will be Man United’s main title rivals. He said:

‘For me, Arsenal is a football training centre. You watch the match, you enjoy it, but are you going to win a title afterwards? That’s what people remember. It has been five years since they won anything and for a big club like Arsenal, that is a crisis. We can lose against them on the 13th (Monday), but at the end of the day, what is there (for Arsenal)? There is nothing. There are no trophies, there is nothing.”

He further said, “Our real enemy is Chelsea. We are more concerned with Chelsea’s results than Arsenal’s. When we play against Arsenal, it is really fun. They are a team that plays football who will not come to Old Trafford with 11 men behind the ball. We also play football, but the difference is that we also have strength. Sometimes, they cannot kill off matches. We are more efficient.”

The Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was shocked at his fellow-Frenchman’s remarks about his side, and hit back at the criticism by saying that Evra was just trying to gain attention before the big match and take people’s mind off the fact that his Arsenal were on the top. He also said that he believed the remarks made by the United player were disrespectful and he was ‘scared’ of the Gunners.

"He gave you some good stuff to make it all hot before the game. We are guided by the way we want to play football and not by the statements of anybody who plays against us.” said Wenger, “Personally, I believe if you are a big player you always respect your opponent and that is what we try to do."

“They are harsh words, not only with regard to the team but also towards the club, which I will treat with a little disdain.We want to focus on the way we want to play and ignore any provocation before a game. We are motivated by the desire to win the game and by the quality of the football we want to play.” – Arsene Wenger

Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri also hit back against Evra’s comments and said: “We are not children and we will demonstrate that on Monday. We will show Manchester United that Arsenal have really grown.”

Arsenal haven’t defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford since 2005. Arsenal would be hoping that changes this Monday if they are to pose a serious title threat this season.